Waste Disposal in London

Explore Price, Costs & Reviews for Waste Disposal in London

Search

Explore all services for Construction Waste in London

Muck Away Services in London

Muck Away Services in London

Skip Hire in London

Skip Hire in London

Man & Van in London

Man & Van in London

Grab Hire in London

Grab Hire in London

Roll On Roll Off in London

Roll On Roll Off in London

Learn more about Waste Disposal in London

In a city as big and as densely populated as London, an effective waste disposal strategy is essential to the running of homes and industries. With around 250,000 active construction sites and over 1.2 million active businesses, private waste disposal companies are in constant demand particularly for the collection and disposal of hazardous and clinical waste. For the 3.5 million residential properties in London, local authority collections, man and van services, and community recycling facilities play a vital role in household waste management, handling nearly 4 million tonnes of waste every year.

It is estimated that over 900,000 sofas and nearly 1 million fridge-freezer units are discarded in the city annually, which is an indication of the size the waste management industry needs to be to cope with the sheer volume of refuse generated across sectors. Local authority waste collections deal with most general household waste and recycling but have limited services for clinical and hazardous waste removal. Confidential and electronic waste are also better handled through private waste disposal methods, which use state of the art technology and provide easily traceable services for clients.

Environmentally sustainable waste disposal is also more prevalent in the private sector, with most companies achieving at least a 90% recycling rate on all waste collected. As a highly competitive and expanding industry, environmentally sustainable waste management has become a baseline measure of an organisation’s professionalism as a means of counteracting climate change and damage to the environment through waste.

London’s local authorities are also becoming increasingly conscious of the environment in their management of municipal waste and the need to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible. Many borough councils run awareness campaigns to initiate change in response to educating communities on sustainable waste management and how small everyday actions can make a big difference to the amount of overall waste that is produced.

London boroughs have an obligation to deliver waste management solutions in line with the London Environment Strategy. This has been approved by the Mayor of London and sets out core strategies and frameworks that local councils need to implement to improve recycling rates and drive environmental wellbeing for communities and green spaces within the city. The key aims of the strategy are to drive down waste disposal and keep refuse at the top of the waste hierarchy for as long as possible. This means reusing, refurbishing, and reselling items as used goods before recycling and recovery of materials, and finally disposal and incineration at the bottom of the waste hierarchy.

Although borough councils and overseeing waste partnerships achieve a 100% recycling rate in some cases, the overall rate for London is a disappointing 32%, due to some boroughs underperforming in terms of sustainable waste management targets. At Wayst, we work with trusted service providers who can maintain high levels of recycling, customer service, and health and safety standards and who share our values of socially responsible sustainability in waste management.
Show Less

Waste disposal in London

Specialist waste management in London is handled by local authorities and services that either recycle, or dispose of waste from homes and businesses throughout the capital. The City of London council is the main public service provider for hazardous waste disposal, and many other borough councils refer residents to their services for official guidance on the disposal of hazardous waste.

Most medical waste cannot be recycled and needs to be disposed of following the correct clinical waste disposal procedure. Residents throughout London can request clinical waste disposal through their local authority or arrange a paid for service through a private contractor who is trained in the disposal of this waste type.

Confidential waste can sometimes be recycled or recovered for energy depending on the waste disposal methods used, and some recoverable healthcare waste might also fall into this category, specifically paper prescriptions that could be incinerated.

Finally electronic waste can almost always be recycled or reprocessed due to its material composition. However, GDPR regulations around confidentiality may prevent items such as hard drives from being recycled and companies specialising in this waste type provide hard drive shredding services, although raw materials like metal and plastic may still be extracted after shredding.

Wayst partners with compliant waste service providers that have the specialist training and equipment needed to process hazardous, clinical and confidential waste, and who will provide legally required waste transfer notes, hazardous waste consignment notes, and all other relevant documentation to clients. Our trusted partners work in a safe, discreet and timely manner to deliver friendly and professional customer service, accommodating the client and adapting to the particular circumstances of each waste management scenario.
Show Less

Confidential waste disposal

Confidential waste in both the domestic and commercial sectors consists of electronic devices and computer hard drives containing digital information, and paper documents such as letters and invoices. Many people carry out a basic level of domestic confidential waste disposal within the home for files, folders and hard copies of personal documents by shredding them and placing them into general refuse or with their recycling. Getting rid of confidential waste that exists on a personal computer or hard drive requires specialist software to clean the drive, or using a hard drive shredding service which is the GDPR approved method for disposing of electronic confidential waste. Some borough councils may also have confidential shredding services available at reuse and recycling centres. There are also several data destruction and shredding companies based in the heart of the city that serve the commercial and business sectors.
Show Less

Hazardous waste disposal in London

There are many different types of hazardous waste that come from all sections of the community and from commercial enterprises. Hazardous waste in a home environment can include a wide range of substances and materials that many people typically don't even think of as hazardous, such as cooking oil, paint and household and garden chemicals. Unfortunately, many toxic substances that are harmful to the environment are washed down the plughole and can end up contaminating the water supply if they occur in large quantities. This is why it's important for every household to be aware of which substances are hazardous, and follow the correct procedures for disposing of this waste type.

The city of London council is the public authority for hazardous waste management in the capital, and works alongside other London borough councils to deliver hazardous waste collection and disposal for households free of charge. The City of London also provides competitively priced services for removing hazardous waste from within the commercial sector, alongside the many registered waste carriers that are licensed to deal with hazardous waste.
Show Less

Clinical waste disposal

Local authorities in London offer clinical waste management for items such as syringes and dressings through the clinical waste collection service. This service is free to all residents, and most councils simply ask applicants to provide a letter from the GP when registering for medical waste disposal, which can be done online or by phone. The council then provides sacks, medical waste bins, or sharps disposal for residents as needed.

Several companies in the city specialise in clinical waste management within the domestic and commercial sectors, helping businesses to safely dispose of PPE and medical waste from private clinics and treatment centres. Wayst only works with service providers who guarantee the highest levels of safety and compliance when handling this waste type, and supply clients with the correct documentation.
Show Less

Waste disposal regulations in London

Most London borough councils accept a certain amount of hazardous waste at the community recycling centres from residential properties. Residents taking hazardous waste to reuse and recycling centres should first check their local council website for details about what they can accept and also ring ahead to check they have space in their locked containers for the waste. As is often the case with items like plasterboard and cement bonded asbestos, staff at the recycling centres will need to be available to unlock the hazardous waste containers so it is always best to let them know you are planning to dispose of hazardous waste so that they can be available to accept it, and you must make sure you take it in a sealed bag or container for disposal at the site.

Details on the handling of various types of hazardous waste can be found on the government website in environmental management of waste. The guides can help you to classify different waste types and provide instructions for how to fill in hazardous waste consignment notes and waste transfer notes. It is the responsibility of the organisation to fill in the hazardous waste transfer consignment note and give it to the contractor who is collecting the waste. There is also a list of waste regulations, additional information on waste management and recycling, and a search tool to help householders find hazardous waste disposal services in their local area.
Show Less

Companies who would recommend our Waste Disposal services

Request a Call Back

Can't find what you are looking for? We can help!

Get free quote

What you need to know about London

London

An ancient settlement that grew up along the banks of the Thames, London is one of the most well established and influential cities in the western world. It has reinvented itself many times throughout history to become the vibrant dynamic and complex entity that it is today with an infrastructure that is constantly developing to accommodate the progress and advancements of modern day Britain. It is well known for being one of the most integrated and culturally diverse cities in Europe, and accommodates many ways of living that make it stand out as a place that not only celebrates diversity but thrives on it. The pull of London for so many people from around the world and its increasing population demand a waste management industry that is highly organised, adaptable, and available for public use. Waste transfer companies have a large share of a market that is constantly in need of rubbish removal services, and the amount of businesses operating within this industry drives competition and a range of services that can overwhelm consumers and organisations when choosing a contractor for their rubbish disposal needs. One of the most important considerations when choosing a rubbish removal service is their commitment to the environment, re-use and recycling practices, and a diversion of waste from landfill. This can be achieved by companies who operate within statutory frameworks, practise due diligence, and adhere to the rules and regulations set out by the Environment Agency.

  • Population Size 9,304,016
  • Active Businesses 1,240,767
  • Waste Collected (tonnes)3,901,600
  • Tonnes of Waste Recycled or Reused 1,248,512

What are the different ways to dispose of waste in London?

There are hundreds of waste facilities around the city, from council run tips and recycling centres, to materials and energy recovery facilities, which are gradually replacing landfill sites. Nearly every Local Authority provides reuse and recycling centres for residents, handling a wide range of reusable items, recyclable rubbish, and general or residual municipal waste.

The local authority run facilities provide the same basic services from borough to borough in addition to offering specialised collections for garden waste, furniture and white goods and clinical waste disposal. Some types of waste, like building materials, are often classed as restricted due to their commercial use, as traders and construction companies have to pay to use the tips, and residents are only permitted to dump small amounts for it to be considered domestic waste. Hazardous waste is also seldom accepted at local civic amenity sites, and most homes and businesses are advised to contact the city of London hazardous waste disposal team, for the disposal of asbestos, oil based paint and other chemicals.

Many councils also provide competitively priced services for the collection, transfer and disposal of commercial refuse, although companies requiring industrial waste management solutions will often turn to the same private companies who are currently contracted by the council to deal with large scale waste. Private waste management organisations work closely with local authorities in London to transfer recyclable waste and sell it onto treatment facilities both nationally and internationally.
Show Less

Where are the nearest recycling centres in London

The Reuse and recycling centres and micro recycling sites available for public use throughout the city all vary slightly in terms of materials they can accept. Paper card glass tin aluminium and plastic bottles are generally accepted everywhere. Some difficult to dispose of items include paint, tyres, and plasterboard which often have to be transported to specialist facilities to be reused or recycled. Building materials like rubble soil timber garden fences and bathroom fixtures and fittings are also not typically accepted at all civic amenity sites and may require independent waste collectors to ensure swift and convenient removal of items.

Some materials frequently accepted at local authority facilities that cannot otherwise be disposed of for free include fluorescent tubes (energy saving light bulbs) car batteries, cooking and engine oil, and gas bottles. Most boroughs provide micro recycling sites for household batteries, textiles and small electrical items, however residents are encouraged to donate reusable items where possible at charity shops or at the tip, which often has links to resellers and refurbishment programmes such as Recycle my Cycle. Donated items, might include furniture, sports equipment, toys, and bric a brac. For all other waste like large electrical items, white goods, garden waste and soft furnishings like sofas, mattresses and carpets, these may still be recycled however the council often collects them from domestic properties for a fee if residents cannot transport them to the tip.
Show Less

What rubbish collection services are available in London?

Standard collection services for general refuse and recycling have significantly improved over the years to accept more varieties of plastic such as tubs, pots, trays and cutlery in dry mixed recycling bins. This has been a progressive step in tackling the problem of single use plastic that ends up in landfills or contaminating the natural environment, and recovering the raw materials ready for reprocessing and remanufacture into recycled consumer goods. The other main area of improvement has been the introduction of kitchen caddies and bins for food waste throughout London, which can contribute to a huge amount of harmful gases in the environment if it gets sent to landfill. The local authority provision of free food waste caddies along with compostable liners and regular weekly collections has meant that it gets segregated service level, and can be transported directly to an energy recovery facility to be turned into biogas, biofertilizer and fuel, which in some areas has already resulted in a 100% diversion from landfill for all food waste.

Other organic waste services include garden waste collection which is offered across most London boroughs for a yearly subscription fee. For those households that do not produce enough garden waste for regular collections some councils offer one off collections, however most boroughs have a home composting guide on their website which they encourage residents to make use of, and to reuse their garden waste to enrich the soil.

Most borough councils in London offer bulky waste collection of furniture, white goods and large electrical items at competitive prices or for free for elderly residents and those in receipt of benefit, limited to a certain amount of collections per year. Some councils direct locals towards charity operated solutions from their websites that remove bulk waste for free, however the vast majority of boroughs are limited to offering their own collection services or inviting residents to transport large waste items to the tip, which is seldom practical in most cases. Instead many households opt for using the wide range of competitively priced independent waste carriers in London that offer the same services. However the choice can be overwhelming, and some unlicensed waste carriers slip through the net and fly tip rubbish on private or even public land that then needs to be dealt with by another waste management company or by the local authorities. The Environment Agency provides a public directory of licensed waste carriers, brokers and dealers which members of the public can use to check that their chosen waste provider is compliant with the statutory requirements for waste management at every stage of the disposal process.

Need help with a waste clearance in London? Get in touch
Show Less

How are the local authorities in London handling your waste?

Over the years many local authorities have risen to the challenge for the planning and delivery of environmentally sustainable waste management for the millions of people living within the 32 London boroughs. Even as the population continues to expand, increased pressure is placed on public services to produce cleaner waste management solutions through investment, technological innovations and the building of infrastructure to derive energy from waste and ultimately provide channels for decentralised energy provision throughout the greater London area.

Borough councils are combining their financial resources to build state-of-the-art waste management facilities for sorting and transferring waste, materials and energy recovery, reselling and in some cases exporting raw materials back to the manufacturers for reprocessing. As a response to the demand for more effective waste management solutions in the city and proposals in the The London Plan handed down at the local government level, the following authorities have been set up between borough councils to strategize and action events around public waste management.

ELWA (East London Waste Authority) which has been set up between Redbridge, Havering, Barking & Dagenham and Newham.

NLWA (North London Waste Authority) which has been set up between Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Waltham Forest, Camden, Hackney and Islington.

WLWA (West London Waste Authority) which has been set up between Hillingdon, Brent, Harrow, Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond-upon-Thames.

WRWA (Western Riverside Waste Authority) which has been set up between Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Wandsworth and Lambeth.

SLWP (South London Waste Partnership) which has been set up between Merton, Kingston upon Thames, Croydon and Sutton.

Several Large scale private waste contractors also work in partnership with borough councils to manage waste and deliver on their objectives for landfill diversion and the increased production of energy from waste. The building of new facilities funded by regional London waste authorities has already started to deliver on the long term sustainable waste strategies proposed by the London Plan and lead to the reclamation of natural landscapes. providing renewed conservation areas that used to be contaminated by man made waste or used for landfill.

At the service level, organic waste removal services such as home composting caddies and garden waste collection are now standard practice for many London Boroughs seeking to avoid the use of landfill sites. Residents are given brown or grey bins specifically for food waste including meat, fish, and poultry waste, which is collected periodically alongside general rubbish. The organic waste is taken to facilities where it will undergo treatment such as pyrolysis or gasification which are both methods used to heat organic waste at controlled temperatures in order to produce by-products such as oil, char and gas that may be used as fuel. These controlled heating methods are relatively new, although they are in the commercial stages of development, and composting remains the most widely used method for recycling organic waste materials collected by Local Authorities in London and the surrounding areas.
Show Less

What are the plans for a greener future in London?

In addition to London boroughs pooling resources and investing in waste management solutions for the future, each council runs public awareness initiatives promoting healthy habits around sustainable ways of living in response to climate change, and encouraging engagement with the ‘circular economy’ in collaboration with community organisations charities and businesses. This model of consumption encourages individuals to conserve energy fuel and resources by making small incremental changes to their habits and lifestyle from walking or cycling instead of travelling by car, to buying and using only what they need. This feeds into the circular model of reselling or donating unwanted material goods back into the local economy for refurbishment and reuse, as opposed to the ‘linear economy’ which ends with the disposal of consumer goods and wasted materials.

In recent years London has made many efforts to become an environmentally friendly city and has adopted a practice known as ‘urban greening’ which aims to bring purpose built green spaces into the infrastructure of the city, helping to lower temperatures, prevent flooding and improve air quality. With the population in London set to increase by an estimated 3 million by 2050, and with permanent changes in the weather due to climate, urban greening is mandated to become a key part of building in the city as it expands. This consists of planning permission for green walls and roofs as standard practice for any major developments.

The urban greening factor is included in the New London Plan which is the spatial development strategy for Greater London led by the Mayor of London and the Greater London authority. Other aspects of urban greening are set to include the ‘healthy streets’ initiative, which will not only change the physical environment of London’s streets and pedestrianised areas, but intends to shift public behaviour towards greener methods of travel such as walking and cycling, and increased use of public transport for long journeys. The ‘grey to green’ project as part of the sustainable drainage action plan also encourages communities to advocate for an increase in accessible green spaces by communicating with the local council about where such improvements could be made.
Show Less

Service Providers in London

Peter Norris Haulage

4.8 Excellent
Station Approach, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent, BR5 2NB
    Muck Away Services
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Grab Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

One Waste Clearance

4.8 Excellent
Unit 2 Abbey Estate, 24 Willow Lane, Surrey, CR4 4NA
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Gowing and Pursey

4.6 Excellent
100 Twyford Abbey Road, London, NW10 7XE
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Manns Waste

4.6 Excellent
Old Bus Depot, Perry Road, Dagenham, Essex, RM9 6QD
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Ground Skips

4.4 Excellent
50-52 Burrowfield, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4SR
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

White Skip Hire

4.4 Excellent
75-77 Chequers Lane, Dagenham, RM9 6QJ
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Hintons Waste

4.3 Excellent
112 Beddington Lane, Croydon, CR0 4TD
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Grab Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

RMS Skip Hire

4.2 Excellent
7-10 Penhall Road, London, SE7 8RX
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
Explore

Powerday

4.2 Excellent
Crossan House, Old Oak Sidings, Off Scrubs Lane, London, NW10 6RJ
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Latham Skips

4.2 Excellent
Latham House, Kangley Bridge Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5BA
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
Explore

Bywaters

4.1 Excellent
Lea Riverside, Twelvetrees Crescent, London, E3 3JG
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
Explore

O'Donovan Waste

3.9 Good
82 Markfield Road, Tottenham, London, N15 4QF
    Muck Away Services
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Grab Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Glynns Skip Hire

3.7 Good
Unit 6, Neasden Goods Yard, Neasden Lane, London, NW10 2UG
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

PB Donoghue

3.4 Good
Donoghue Business Park, Claremont Road, London, NW2 1RR
    Muck Away Services
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Grab Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Brewster Waste

3.2 Good
3 Scarab Close, London, E16 1DF
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

GB Skip Hire

0.0
3 Scarab Close, Silvertown, London, E16 1DF
    Waste Disposal
    Skip Hire
    Grab Hire
    Roll On Roll Off
    Rubbish Removal
Explore

Waste Disposal Services In Areas Of London